Today, in #8 of our countdown of the Top 15 Fixes in English series, we’ll be talking about the difference between these two similar verbs!

You don’t want to let grammar get in the way of giving to or getting from your friends. But the verbs borrow and lend are tricky because they both mean to temporarily give — and yet they are different.

The key to using these verbs is understanding that they follow perspective. Consider who is doing the giving, and who is doing the receiving.

Lend focuses on the one who is giving (the one doing the action).

Borrow focuses on the one receiving (the one upon whom the action is done).